Nerlens Noel Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Sixers Notes: Noel, Smith, Wroten

December 30th, 2015 at 3:45pm CST by Will Joseph

The jury is still out on whether or not Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor can coexist on the court for the Sixers with Noel’s recent string of strong play coming with Okafor being out with a sore right knee, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays. Noel has thrived at center, his natural position, recently, but played power forward when Okafor was healthy. Okafor, as Pompey adds, is expected to return tonight. Sixers coach Brett Brown said that Noel’s most recent performances might lead to a change in where Noel and Okafor can and should play, Pompey adds. Noel is better suited to play the center position because he is a rim-protector, Pompey notes. Noel becomes eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer. It will be interesting to see how this dynamic plays out and how the two big men develop.

Here’s more out of Philadelphia:

The Sixers did not intend on releasing Tony Wroten on Christmas Eve, a move they took some criticism for, and preferred to do that the day after Christmas, but the Pelicans insisted on last week’s trade being completed Thursday, Pompey writes in a separate piece. The Sixers, therefore, needed to create a roster spot to complete the trade for Ish Smith from the Pelicans, and thus Wroten was cut. The Sixers are thrilled to have Smith because they believe his presence and skills give them a boost on the court, Pompey notes.
There is a strong chance that the Sixers would have acquired Smith for less if they had waited a few more weeks and pulled the trigger on the deal closer to the deadline, Derek Bodner of Phillymag.com writes in a mailbag response. Such a move presents a change in the way the Sixers operate because the team overpaid in exchanging two future second-round picks to fix an immediate problem, Bodner adds.

Sixers Notes: Okafor, Hinkie, Colangelo, D’Antoni

December 27th, 2015 at 6:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

Jahlil Okafor‘s camp didn’t want him to end up with the Sixers before Philly drafted him in June, sources tell Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. GM Sam Hinkie wasn’t allowed to interview Kristaps Porzingis at his predraft workout in Las Vegas, Pompey also hears. An agent told the Inquirer scribe in October that he wouldn’t want his maximum-salary clientele signing in Philadelphia and would advise mid-tier clients to play for the Sixers only if the team offered to overpay them. It all points to Hinkie’s difficult dealing with agents, though the GM says to Pompey that new executive Jerry Colangelo is changing that.

“Yeah, he’s helped there, too,” Hinkie said. “I think he’s had lot of good advice and I had lots of questions there about ways in which we could do things better. And he’s helped on that front already.”

See more from Philly:

Colangelo implied that he doesn’t have as much power with the Sixers as some might assume, saying that this experience is different from his time with the Suns “because in the past, the buck always stopped with me,” notes Arizona Republic columnist Paula Boivin. Of course, Colangelo was in charge of the Suns as an owner, and he’s merely advising Sixers owner Josh Harris, so the comment isn’t necessarily about his role in Philly’s basketball operations.
Mike D’Antoni said he’s “happy as heck” to be back in coaching as the lead assistant for the Sixers, and referred to head coach Brett Brown as the top draw for him to come to Philly, observes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
Nerlens Noel explained some of the reasons why he’s such a fan of Sixers trade acquisition Ish Smith, who also played with the team at the end of last season. Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com has the details. “I think it’s his experience,” Noel said. “Him being as athletic as he is at the point guard position, and being able to create. Just a willing passer. He makes things a lot easier for the people around him. He makes them better.”

Ish Smith Trade Fallout: Noel, D’Antoni, Holiday

December 25th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The Sixers had interest in re-signing Ish Smith this past summer before he signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Wizards in September, according to Tom Moore of Calkins Media. Smith also drew offers of guaranteed money from teams, Calkins writes, indicating that the Sixers were one of them. The deal that Smith inked with Washington is the one he’s still on, since the Pelicans claimed him off waivers in October before trading him to the Sixers on Thursday. See more in the aftermath of the Christmas Eve trade between Philadelphia and New Orleans:

Nerlens Noel loved playing with Smith last year, so the move will likely please the big man, Moore notes (on Twitter). Noel becomes eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer.
New Sixers lead assistant coach Mike D’Antoni is also a fan of Smith and wanted Philadelphia to acquire him, sources told John Reid of The Times Picayune. D’Antoni has a reputation for lifting the performance of point guards, and Smith is set for free agency at season’s end.
New Orleans plans to keep Jrue Holiday coming off the bench when his minutes restriction is lifted next week, but the team still didn’t envision giving Smith adequate time in the rotation, Reid writes in the same piece.
The Pelicans created a trade exception equal to Smith’s $947,276 salary, notes Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter). The exception can help the Pelicans absorb a long-term minimum salary deal they might otherwise be unable to match salaries for, as I explained.

Atlantic Notes: Prokhorov, Sixers, Scola

December 16th, 2015 at 7:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The NBA has approved ownership transfer of 100% of the Nets and the Barclays Center to Mikhail Prokhorov, Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg.com reports. The franchise and the arena were given a combined valuation of $1.9 billion, though the precise breakdown of that amount is unknown at this time, Soshnick adds. This arrangement will give Prokhorov full ownership of both the Nets and the Barclays Center when finalized, the Bloomberg scribe relays. Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Despite all the criticism levied against the Sixers‘ rebuilding plan, one major advantage the team had when making trades was the lack of immediate urgency to win, a perk that may now be gone with the arrival of Jerry Colangelo, Derek Bodner of Phillymag.com writes. The inconsistent play of Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor played a major role in Philadelphia bringing in Colangelo as well as looking to speed up its timetable to return to respectability, Bodner adds.
Raptors power forward Luis Scola likely wouldn’t have been allowed to leave Indiana and sign with Toronto this past summer if it had been up to Pacers coach Frank Vogel, writes Mike Ganter of The Toronto Sun. “One of my favorite players of all time,” Vogel said regarding Scola. “One of them, yeah. Just a guy who has a great approach in the locker room, did his job and it carries over to his teammates and the entire team. He’s just a winner, he plays harder than everybody on the court every time he is out there and it’s no surprise he is helping contribute to their winning culture.” When asked why Scola was allowed to depart, Vogel diplomatically responded, “You would have to talk to [team president] Larry [Bird] about that.”
When asked if his expectations for the Nets‘ 2015/16 season have changed in light of their difficult start, Joe Johnson offered little in the way of enthusiasm, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com writes. “I didn’t really know what the expectations were. I honestly didn’t know,” Johnson said. “I didn’t know how good we would be, I didn’t know how good we would be as a team. So, I just came in and did what I was asked to do, and I’m just trying to help out.”

Sixers Notes: Okafor, Embiid, Noel

December 4th, 2015 at 7:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

Executives from other teams who’ve closely studied rebuilding strategies estimate that the Sixers would have to pursue what they’re doing for six or seven years before the odds of a successful turnaround would become highly favorable, reports Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. Philadelphia’s lack of willingness to sign veterans has irked agents, as has the team’s lack of tact when waiving players, as Lowe details. The Sixers assured Jorge Gutierrez they’d keep him after the trade that brought him to the team last season, but they waived him one day later while he was on the team bus, sources tell Lowe. The ESPN scribe is nonetheless skeptical that agents will keep their clients from signing with the team when it starts to win, as at least one agent has reportedly promised. See more from Philly:

A slowed-down version of the video of a second altercation allegedly involving Jahlil Okafor on the night of November 25th shows that Okafor didn’t hit a man, an attorney for Okafor claimed Friday on WIP’s Mike & Ike Show, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The incident, one of several in which Okafor has reportedly been implicated of late, helped prompt the Sixers to issue a two-game suspension.
Coach Brett Brown was asked if the team would benefit by a stronger veteran presence on the team, and he responded, “It’s hard to argue why not,” Noah Coslov of SiruisXMNBA relays (Twitter link).
Joel Embiid has grown to 7’2″, Brown told reporters, including Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News (Twitter link). Embiid was measured at 7’0″ at the 2013 Nike Hoops Summit, according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.
The jury is still out on whether or not Okafor and Nerlens Noel can coexist on the court together, with one NBA executive noting simply that the duo won’t ever mesh, Cooney relays in a separate piece. “They can’t play together,” the executive told Cooney. “I just don’t see it. Watch them defensively. Their instincts are both to defend the paint, because that is exactly what they’ve been doing all their lives. But here’s the problem. When the Sixers miss a shot or commit a turnover, both Noel and Okafor run back on defense and instinctively run to the rim, which they have been taught all their lives. Problem is, there is a Dirk Nowitzki or LaMarcus Aldridge or Kevin Love spotting up, waiting to get a wide-open shot. I don’t know if they can figure that out. The advantage to it is that Brett [Brown] has been around this situation before when he was in San Antonio and they were figuring out how to best get along with Tim Duncan and David Robinson. Of course, those are two Hall of Fame players.“

Atlantic Notes: Okafor, Porzingis, Brown, Ross

November 30th, 2015 at 11:05am CST by Chuck Myron

Jahlil Okafor addressed his recent off-court trouble with a statement on Twitter that pointed the finger at himself (All four Twitter links). The Sixers rookie has overshadowed his strong early-season play with transgressions that made tabloid headlines.

“I hold myself to a higher standard than anyone else ever could and I’m not proud of some of my decisions over the last few months,” Okafor wrote. “I own my choices both personally and now publicly. At this point I am cooperating and respecting the process I have to go through. Going forward I don’t want to be a distraction for my team and am grateful for the support and guidance those close to me are giving. I am 100% focused on my responsibility to the League, my teammates and fans.”

See more on this year’s No. 3 overall pick amid the latest from the Atlantic Division:

Okafor indeed bears responsibility for his own actions, but the Sixers set him up for failure when they surrounded him with a roster that features only one player, Carl Landry, with more than three years of experience, argues Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. That’s in contrast to the Knicks and Kristaps Porzingis, who quickly connected with ninth-year veteran Sasha Vujacic and has publicly credited 11th-year veteran Jose Calderon for his friendship and mentorship, Isola notes.
Brett Brown has said he’s willing to bear the weight of mentorship that would usually fall to veteran players, but Sixers management is putting too much strain on the coach, as Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News believes. Cooney points to previous incidents, including one involving Sixers players and marijuana two years ago and a separate set of missteps that saw Nerlens Noel rack up around $25K in fines during his rookie season.
Terrence Ross has gone scoreless four times this season, including Sunday’s game, and the three-year, $31MM extension to which the Raptors signed him less than a month ago is already looking like a mistake, observes Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.

Atlantic Notes: Durant, Okafor, D-League

November 20th, 2015 at 8:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Knicks coach Derek Fisher has strong ties to Kevin Durant from their time as teammates with the Thunder. Fisher said that he regrets not doing more to help OKC win a title while he was there, and he called Durant “one of the greats,” Marc Berman of The New York Post relays. “We didn’t win a championship,’’ Fisher said regarding playing with Durant. “That was definitely why I was there. We didn’t get that done. Obviously, he’s a great player. I was fortunate to play with a lot of great ones over the course of my career. He’s definitely one of the greats.’’ Not wanting to risk a tampering charge regarding the future unrestricted free agent, Fisher wisely avoided going into detail on what makes Durant great, Berman adds. “This is a new position for me,’’ Fisher continued. “I’ll stay away from celebrating guys I used to play with that are pending free agents. Keep it at that.’’

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Sixers coach Brett Brown is considering shifting rookie Jahlil Okafor to power forward and moving Nerlens Noel to center, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays (Twitter link). One of the primary concerns regarding Philly stockpiling big men via the draft is how well they would mesh alongside one another, and it will be interesting to see if this move helps or hurts the development of Okafor, a natural center, in the long run.
Establishing their new D-League affiliate wasn’t an easy task, notes Raptors GM Masai Ujiri, but the franchise felt it was an important step if it wanted to properly develop its younger players, writes Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun. D-League president Malcolm Turner agreed the process was difficult, but worth it for both the Raptors and the league, Wolstat adds. “Yeah, certainly there’s some back of house, logistics, in terms of crossing the border and other arrangements we needed to make,” Turner said. “We’re growing as a property, it really wasn’t a question of if, but when. The popularity of the sport in this market, in this country, the success of Canadian players throughout the game and frankly, others who are connected to the game, coaches and otherwise, is well-documented.”

Atlantic Notes: Prokhorov, Sixers, Friisdahl

October 30th, 2015 at 6:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov is close to acquiring majority control of the Nassau Coliseum, sources have informed Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The plan is for Brooklyn’s future D-League team to eventually be situated at the refurbished arena, Mazzeo notes. The Nets hope their future D-League team begins play in time for the 2016/17 campaign, but for now they are one of the 11 NBA teams without an affiliate to call their own this season.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

It’s difficult to know for sure, given GM Sam Hinkie‘s unpredictability, but the pairing of No. 3 overall pick Jahlil Okafor with Nerlens Noel appears to give the Sixers a glimpse at what their team will look like in the future, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, the Raptors‘ parent company, went in a different direction with their hire of Michael Friisdahl as the new president and CEO, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca writes. “Quite frankly they [MLSE] looked at it in totality and said what we need is an overall executive to lead the whole organization,” said Friisdahl. “And then we’re going to rely on the very strong leadership in each of the sports organizations and have them focus on that. You will not see me heavily involved in any kind of sports decisions, which is fairly obvious from my background.”
Knicks coach Derek Fisher, speaking about the draft day trade of Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Hawks in return for the draft rights to Jerian Grant, said that Grant has more skills as a guard than Hardaway, which is why the deal was made, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv tweets.
Point guard Scottie Wilbekin, who was waived by the Sixers on Monday, has signed a two-year, $780K deal with the Turkish club Darussafaka, international journalist David Pick reports (Twitter links). The contract does include an NBA out clause, Pick adds.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Sixers Pick Up Options On Embiid, Noel, Stauskas

October 30th, 2015 at 10:27am CST by Chuck Myron

The Sixers have exercised their team options for 2016/17 on Joel Embiid, Nerlens Noel and Nik Stauskas, the team announced. League sources told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer the moves would happen shortly before they took place. The news comes as no shock, as Pompey notes, though it represents a noteworthy vote of confidence for Embiid, to whom the Sixers are committing a salary of $4,826,160 for that season without him having played a single regular season game yet. Noel will make more than $4.384MM and Stauskas will see about $2.993MM on their 2016/17 options, as our post on Upcoming Rookie Scale Option Decisions shows, adding in excess of $12MM to Philadelphia’s payroll and doubling the team’s salary commitments for that season.

Teams are facing a Monday deadline for rookie scale team options like these. The vast majority of the these options are exercised, even in cases in which players have yet to blossom, though rarely does a highly touted prospect’s career begin as inauspiciously as Embiid’s has. Philadelphia committed the third overall pick to him last year, knowing that he’d already suffered a broken foot. He wound up missing all of 2014/15, and a follow-up surgery is expected to cost him the entire 2015/16 season, too.

Noel’s option was much more of an open-and-shut case. He, like Embiid, missed his first year under contract with the Sixers because of injury, but the 2013 No. 6 pick delivered last season, finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting and averaging 9.9 points and 8.1 rebounds in 30.8 minutes per game. He’ll be up for a rookie scale extension next summer.

Stauskas, another former top-10 pick, struggled in his rookie season last year as a member of the Kings, shooting just 32.2% from 3-point range after connecting on 44.1% of his 3-pointers in college. He came to Philadelphia via offseason trade, and while injuries forced him to miss the preseason and the first game of the regular season for the Sixers, he’s probable for tonight’s contest, according to Pompey.

One more matter the Sixers have until Monday to resolve is whether to grant a rookie scale extension to Tony Wroten, though little suggestion exists that they’ll sign him to one, so he’s likely set for restricted free agency in July. The Sixers also have a team option on Hollis Thompson for 2016/17, but a decision on that isn’t due until the summer because he’s not on a rookie scale contract.

Are the Sixers wise to be patient with Embiid? Leave a comment to tell us.

Atlantic Notes: Sloan, Fisher, Sixers

October 9th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Donald Sloan knew at this point last season that his salary was guaranteed, and he went on to put up career-best numbers across for the Pacers, but now he is one of seven on the 20-man Nets roster without a full guarantee. He’s nonetheless confident, and Nets coach Lionel Hollins is high on the point guard’s ability, too, observes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post.

“I thought Donald Sloan’s athleticism, size and quickness could help us,” Hollins said. “We’re looking for a third guard, and he was a guy that was out there that showed a little bit of tenacity and toughness, as well as athleticism and quickness.”

Bontemps suggests that Sloan, who has a partial guarantee of $50K, is fighting for the third point guard job, and ostensibly a regular season roster spot, with rookie Ryan Boatright, who has a $75K partial guarantee. See more from the Atlantic Division:

It was a plane issue that kept Knicks coach Derek Fisher from making it back to New York from Los Angeles for Monday’s practice, not his alleged scrap with Matt Barnes, Fisher contended Thursday, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. Fisher added that he’s spoken with his boss, team president Phil Jackson, about what happened. The coach drew criticism for his absence from work.
Nerlens Noel and new addition Jahlil Okafor experienced some growing pains Thursday as they failed to mesh as well as they had two nights before, and Sixers coach Brett Brown admitted, “We’re going to have this conversation for a while, growing these two guys,” observes Tom Moore of Calkins Media.
Brown expects Kendall Marshall and Tony Wroten to miss at least the next month as they continue to recover from their injuries, Moore notes in the same piece, further jumbling the point guard picture for the Sixers, who have six point guards on their preseason roster.